I am known to my collegues for being absent-minded, yet they would come to me when they have problems with English words. Not infrequently did I help them out so some of them dubbed me as a walking dictionary. Do I have a photographic memory and a very large vocabulary? Absolutely not. On the contrary, my memory is like a seive. (Otherwise, I wouldn't be so absent-minded). As for my vocalulary, it only has a size slightly above average. Although I know they can't be serious, I still feel embarrassed. In my mind, only such learned scholars as Lin Yutang and Qian Zhongshu match that title. Therefore, I immediately corrected them, saying that I am, at best, walking with a dictioanry. Now you know what I am going to talk about. Dictioanries and their indispensable roles in learning English, which is at least the case with me.

   This website boasts a willing-to-share spirit. Many bloggers posted their learning secrets. Some of them I am already practicing, others I am eager to give a try. However, I  noticed that few would mention dictioanries as part of their recipe for success. As I see it, the role of dictionaries can't be overestimated. It's true that people have chances to receive formal English training in the classroom. But learning is a lifetime mission and learning a foreign language is certainly no exception. Recent research shows that most learning occurs outside the classroom. In addition, what if the day comes when one graduates and find teachers and textbooks unavailable. (In fact, a few people hold that these two resources are helpless, if not harmful, in their learning of a foreign language). It's at this point that dictionaries come to the fore.

    People often say that dictionaries are teachers without speaking and college without walls. That is to say, dictionaries are the best weapons for autonomous learning. Learner's dictioanries, specially designed for second or foreign language learning, serve this purpose best. Suppose you have an idea, the next thing you need do is find the right word or expression to convey your idea. You go to a Chinese-English dictionary, following the entry word are a number of candidates. Those so-called equivalents place you under the false impression that they are the right vehicles for your intended idea. If you pick out one at random and use it, chances are that you either express something totally diffrent from your original intention or simply confuse your reader/ listeners.  Owing to the disparities between English and Chinese, complete equivalents seldom exist. You will have to look up those words in an English dictionary and decide which is close to what you want to express. Even after you find the right word or expression, how to use it properly is still a problem. A good learner's dictionary should offer you information as to what element precedes or follows the key term. And a better one goes further by telling you what are the common errors to avoid. Here are my two favorite dictionaries. Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learers and Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners. In addition to the general design features of a leaner's dictioanry, the former uses sentences to define words i.e. definitions alone teach you how to use words correctly; the latter provides metaphorical information. For instance, knowing that being angry is like being hot or on fire enables you to understand why English has such expressions as He has a fiery temper. ♦ Jack was a hot-tempered young man. ♦ Their parents were having a heated argument/​debate about where to go, and thus facilitates the memory of them.